The invention relates to a method of steering an aircraft comprising a supporting structure, at least one utility space, at least two propellers whose axles are arranged substantially horizontally, and a driving mechanism to rotate each propeller, the blade angles of at least one propeller of the aircraft being adjustable such that the blow power of the propellers provides the aircraft with a lifting force, and after take-off of the aircraft the blade angles of the propeller are adjusted such that the blow power of the propellers provides the aircraft with horizontal flight.
The invention further relates to an aircraft comprising a supporting structure, at least one utility space, at least two propellers whose axles are arranged substantially horizontally, and a driving mechanism to rotate each propeller, the blade angles of at least one propeller of the aircraft being adjustable such that the blow power of the propellers provides the aircraft with a lifting force, and after take-off of the aircraft the blade angles of the propeller are adjusted such that the blow power of the propellers provides the aircraft with horizontal flight.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,463 discloses a vertical take-off aerodyne comprising at least two propellers mounted on the same drive shaft, a driving mechanism to rotate the propellers, and an arch-shaped airfoil placed above the propellers. In order to move the aircraft according to the publication in the vertical direction, the blade angles of at least one of the propellers can be regulated so as to enable the propellers to draw the ambient air in the opposite directions into the space between the propellers, where the flow of air is guided downwards by the arc-shaped airfoil, thus producing a vertical lifting force to lift the apparatus. In order to move the apparatus horizontally, the blade angles of the propeller can be reversed to produce a parallel flow of air from the propellers for a forward movement of the aerodyne, whereby the apparatus can be steered by a rudder and an aileron during flight. Since the apparatus disclosed in the publication can be steered by the rudder and aileron during the actual flight only, in practice the apparatus is non-steerable during vertical take-off and landing.
An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and reliable method for steering an aircraft.
A method of the invention is characterized in that the blade angles of a propeller are adjusted as a function of a rotation angle of the propeller.
An aircraft of the invention is characterized in that the blade angles of the propeller are adjustable as a function of a rotation angle of the propeller.
The idea underlying the invention is that on an aircraft comprising a supporting structure, at least one utility space, at least two propellers arranged in the aircraft such that their axles are substantially in the horizontal direction, and a driving mechanism to rotate each propeller, the blade angles of at least one propeller can be adjusted as a function of a rotation angle of the propeller such that the blow power of the propellers provides the aircraft with a lifting force, and after take-off of the aircraft the blade angles of the propeller can be adjusted such that the blow power of the propellers provides the aircraft with horizontal flight. According to the basic idea of the invention, the aircraft is able to take-off and land vertically, but also take-off and landing runs can be used, whereby by adjusting the blade angles, the blow power of the propellers can be regulated to produce a lifting or a lowering force in order to shorten the take-off and landing runs. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the supporting structure of the aircraft is comprised of an upper wing, a front wing located below the upper wing and a rear wing located below the upper wing and behind the front wing, an air discharge opening being provided between the front wing and the rear wing. According to a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the supporting structure of the aircraft is comprised of a wing forming an open-topped tunnel duct with propellers mounted at the ends thereof above the wing. According to a third preferred embodiment of the invention, the supporting structure of the aircraft is comprised of a wing with respect to whose front edge and rear edge propellers are arranged such that the axles of the propellers are substantially at the level of the wing.
An advantage of the invention is that the aircraft is steerable both during vertical take-off and landing and while using short take-off and landing runs. Furthermore, the aircraft requires no rudder nor aileron but the apparatus is steerable by the solution of the invention also during the actual flight.